How to Install SeaText AI on a Shopify Development Store

To install SeaText AI on a Shopify development store, you add SeaText’s JavaScript snippet to your theme. The step-by-step path is: create a SeaText AI account, copy the snippet from the SeaText Shopify integration page, paste it into theme.liquid in your Shopify admin, and save. Then verify that the snippet actually loads before you activate any agents.

The important development-store twist is domain matching. SeaText links each account to one primary URL. If you use a development domain and a production domain, you need separate accounts. localhost is restricted, and dynamic development domains may not work reliably.

What you need before you install

Get these four things ready, and the copy-paste part takes under a minute if you already have admin access:

• A SeaText account. The integration page says: “Before you can install the script, you need a SEATEXT AI account.” If you don’t have one, create it from the same page.
• A real, valid domain. Use a domain SeaText can reliably associate with your account, not localhost.
• Shopify admin access with permission to edit theme code.
• The copied Javascript snippet from the SeaText integration page.

For a development store, decide which domain will be its primary URL. If that domain will change later, plan to create another SeaText account for the final production domain.

Step-by-step: install the SeaText AI snippet on Shopify

1. Log in to your SeaText account and open the Shopify integration page.
2. Copy the Javascript code from the SEATEXT AI section.
3. Log in to your Shopify admin.
4. Go to Online Store > Themes.
5. Next to your active theme, click Actions > Edit code.
6. In the left sidebar, open the Layout folder and click theme.liquid.
7. Paste the SeaText snippet into the file.
8. Click Save.

That’s the core installation. The SeaText documentation also describes an optional product-description tag if you want SeaText to optimize product descriptions:

1. In the same Edit Code screen, find the product template file, usually product.liquid or product-template.liquid.
2. Locate the code that outputs the product description.
3. Wrap that output with the data- attribute described in SeaText’s integration guide.
4. Save and test a product page.

Don’t skip the verification in the next section. It’s easy to paste a snippet into the wrong file and think the install worked.

How to verify the install

After saving, open your development store in a browser. Then:

1. Right-click the page and choose View Page Source, or open your browser’s developer tools.
2. Search for the SeaText snippet name or the code you pasted.
3. If you added the product-description tag, search for the data- attribute in the page’s HTML.
4. Confirm the page loads without JavaScript errors.

If the snippet doesn’t appear, go back to Edit Code and check that you saved theme.liquid in the active theme. If the page redirects or shows a 404, check the development store domain settings.

What works and what doesn’t on development stores

SeaText’s integration guide is explicit about domain behavior. Use this as your mental model:

• Separate account per domain. “If you need to use SEATEXT AI on multiple domains (e.g., a development domain and a production domain), you must create separate accounts for each domain.”
• One primary URL per account. “Each SEATEXT AI account is linked to a single primary URL.”
• No localhost. “Development URLs, such as localhost, are restricted for security reasons.”
• Stable, real domains only. “Dynamic development domains may not function properly, as SEATEXT AI might be unable to reliably associate traffic with your account.”

What does that mean for you? If your “development store” is a Shopify preview URL like my-store.myshopify.com, that’s a real hostname, so it can work. But if the URL changes with every preview or deployment, don’t be surprised when data doesn’t show up. Use a fixed subdomain such as staging.yourdomain.com when possible.

The other key point: installation is safe. The snippet alone doesn’t change your store. Activation happens later inside SeaText, so you can put the snippet on a development store, test the placement, and only turn on agents when you’re ready.

Key facts

Terminology

• SeaText AI account — an account tied to one primary URL. You need one per domain.
• Theme.liquid — the main Shopify layout file that controls the outer HTML of every page.
• Snippet — the small JavaScript code you paste into your theme.
• Primary URL — the domain connected to a specific SeaText account.
• Dynamic development domain — a domain or subdomain that changes between previews or deployments; SeaText may not associate traffic reliably.
• Inert — not active until you turn the feature on. SeaText stays inert after installation until activation.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I use localhost?

The integration guide says development URLs such as localhost are restricted for security reasons. Use a valid, real domain.

Do I need a separate SeaText account for my development store and live store?

Yes, if the domains are different. Each SeaText account is linked to a single primary URL. The guide specifically recommends separate accounts for a development domain and a production domain.

Will the snippet change my development store before I activate it?

No. SeaText says the AI remains inert until activated. The snippet just sits in the theme until you turn something on.

What should I check if SeaText isn’t showing traffic from my development store?

First, confirm the snippet is in theme.liquid and appears in the rendered page source. Next, check the domain you installed it on. If that domain is dynamic or not the primary URL linked to your account, SeaText may not associate traffic with it.

Can I use a free Shopify development store with SeaText?

You can install the snippet on any Shopify store where you can edit theme code, as long as the store has a valid domain. The restriction is on localhost and dynamic domains, not on the store type.

What does SeaText cost?

The source documents don’t list prices. SeaText’s integration page has a “Click here for pricing” link, and the homepage has a Pricing section. Check current pricing there.

Next steps after install

Once the snippet is verified, go to your SeaText dashboard and look at the agent list. Start with the agents that match your current goal. On a development store, that might be the CRO Optimizer or the Website Translation Agent so you can test behavior before going live.

If you will move to production later, create a separate SeaText account for the production domain and repeat the same process. Don’t reuse the development-store account if the primary URL won’t match.